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May 2021
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
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Hello Advocates,
We hope you are staying well and staying safe. Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM)! Read below for [virtual] events, information, and other resources as we celebrate our heritage, our roots, and our stories.
We want to thank all of our members, chapter affiliates, and fellow advocates for supporting our work by attending programming, sharing and interacting on social media, and donating to financially support the work we do. Please consider donating to OCA this May as we work to stop anti-Asian Hate, provide professional development opportunities with our internships, and aid our efforts in policy and advocacy actions.
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Our National team has created a reading list for APAHM. The titles listed are some of our favorites. This is a great place to start a reading and learning journey with books written by AAPI individuals and scholars. Check it out here! The shareable link is http://bit.ly/ocareadinglistapahm21.
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OCA: AAPI Untold Histories
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We are proud to present our Untold Histories toolkit to celebrate APAHM 2021! Our Spring Communications Intern Mahina Martinson researched and listed a variety of Asian American and Pacific Islander figures that have contributed greatly to United States history. We know the stories and achievements of our communities often go untold, and the goal of this month-long social media feature aims to change this.
In the toolkit, we've listed short biographies of these figures' life work, resources to learn more, and graphics to accompany social media posts. The link for the toolkit is bit.ly/apahmhistories2021. Feel free to post from the toolkit and share widely for others to use!
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"Face Value" by jason chu and Alan Z Music
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OCA is proud to support jason chu and Alan Z, in their endeavor to educate via music, as an executive producer on their team. Their album "Face Value" comes out in May, but their first track "Model Minority" dropped yesterday! It features Dante Basco and Neela and is a total bop. Find where to stream it here: https://orcd.co/jasonchu-alanz-modelminority
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Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA) Boston Lodge x OCA National: Month-long APAHM Celebration
OCA will be contributing to the month-long APAHM celebration hosted by CACA's Boston Lodge. We will be co-hosting events from 8-9PM ET/5-6 PM PT on both Monday, May 24 and Tuesday, May 25. Both RSVP links TBD.
- May 24: OCA's Legacy: A Review of Our History
- Join past and present leaders of OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates to learn how a small group of Chinese Americans who rallied around Vincent Chin grew to be a national pan-Asian Pacific American civil rights organization that puts AAPI voices at corporate and government tables.
- May 25: The Future of OCA
- OCA leaders discuss how to leverage different programs to build membership and community, both nationally and locally.
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Far East Deep South Movie Panel: "Where are the Asian American Southerners?"
Join Baldwin Chiu, Larissa Lam, Stan Lou, and OCA as we discuss their documentary Far East Deep South on May 21st from 7:30 - 8:30PM ET/4:30 - 5:30 PM PT. Details and Zoom RSVP coming soon!
Far East Deep South will be available on PBS starting May 4, and will be streaming on-demand online through the month of May to celebrate APAHM.
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Highlighting AAPI Women: an OCA x CAPAW Collaboration
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- Food Reimagined: Driving Innovation in the Restaurant Industry: Join us on May 3 from 4PM ET/1PM PT for a discussions on ways to innovate and insulate your food service business. This panel will feature Asian and Pacific Islander female restaurateurs, who will be sharing their stories and challenges in the food industry. Register here: www.bit.ly/aapi-women
- The Realities of Succeeding in the Entertainment Industry and What it Takes to be Seen & Heard: Join OCA, CAPAW, and APIA Scholars on May 17, 6PM ET/3PM PT as we present a panel of successful API women to share their journeys and discuss the realities of succeeding in the entertainment industry and what it takes for them to be seen and heard. http://bit.ly/AAPIWomen_Entertainment
- Mental Wellness in API Communities: Join us on May 17, 7PM ET/4PM PT for a 90 minute roundtable conversation with 4-5 professionals and clinicians discussing mental health topics related to the API community. This event will be streamed on the OCA Facebook page!
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Healing and Organizing Through Art
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Join us on May 17 from 8-9PM ET/5-6PM PT for an event and conversation with musicians, filmmakers, and others on how art can be utilized as a tool to advocate, organize, and heal. More details to come.
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National John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Action Day
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The National John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Day of Action will take place on May 8, 2021. Events to support this action will be taking place all over the country. To find an event and participate in an action near you, please visit their website: https://www.johnlewisdayofaction.org.
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OCA-UPS Gold Mountain Scholarships
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Since 1999, UPS has generously funded the OCA - UPS® Gold Mountain Scholarship. The title of this scholarship program calls back to a time when many Asian immigrants looked upon America as a mountain of golden opportunities for themselves and their families. Awardees of the scholarship seek dreams of higher education, which are not only the dreams of the students but also of their parents and extended family. For more information on the scholarships: www.ocanational.org/scholarships.
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S.Y. & S.F. Fung Public Service Scholarship Fund
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It is important for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) to be represented at all levels of government, to be involved in the political process, advocacy, and public service, in order to meet our communities’ needs and make our voices heard. The S.Y. & S.F. Fung Public Service Scholarship Fund aims to support this work by awarding financial aid to students pursuing a Masters Degree in Public Administration and who intend to pursue a career in public service. In 2021, one scholar will be awarded a $2,000 scholarship. The deadline to apply is Sunday, May 30, 2021 at 11:59 PM PT. Learn more and apply here.
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Updates from the Policy Team from April:
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The deadline to file and pay federal taxes was moved to May 17. Taxpayers should file on time, even they owe taxes. Extensions are available for more time to file but not to pay. Owe taxes but can't pay in full by the 5/17/21 deadline? File your tax return any way or request an extension of time to file before the deadline. An extension gives you until 10/15/21 to file your return, but taxes owed are still due 5/17/21. For more information: https://go.usa.gov/xHkwZ
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OCA Sacramento Chapter: Food Distribution
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We are hoping to help more chapters host professional development programs. Please contact Jae Shim at [email protected] if you are interested in hosting a women's event, B3 event, or MAPP Program.
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If you, your family members, someone you know, or community members have experienced xenophobia, discrimination, or harassment (in light of COVID-19), please report the incident using our hate crime reporting tool at aapihatecrimes.org.
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